Thill-coupling.



No. 663,254. Patented Dec. 4, I900.

T. E. BRDUKS.

THILL COUPLING. A iim'mn am Dec. 1, 1899.)

no Mogul.

flan? as j .Bro/ZUD 77 was =5 PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS E. BROOKS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF To STEPHEN NAGY, OF SAME PLACE.

THILL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 663,254, dated December 4, 1900. Application filed December 1,1399. Serial No. 738,840. \No model.)

To all whmn it may concern.-

I Be it known that I, THOMAS E. BROOKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Thill-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is toconstruct a thill-coupling of light material and have such coupling strong and durable for the purpose for which it is intended and which in use will not become loose and permit the rattling of the thill, which rattling is very objectionable and annoying.

The invention consists in the various features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and. claimed.

In the drawings illustrating my invention, Figure'l is a side elevation showing the coupling closed; Fig. 2, a central longitudinal section taken on line 2 of Fig. 4:100kingin the direction of the arrow, with the parts as in Fig. 1, showing the clip of the coupling around an axle; Fig. 3, a central longitudinal section of the receiving part of the coupling with the cap thrown up for the removal of the thill-iron of the coupling; and Fig. A, a sectional planview taken on line 4 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of'th e arrow.

In carrying out my invention I provide a plate or base A, having a head A, both in one piece and made of any suitable metal. The head A has in its upper face a semicylindrical transverse recess or openingaand at its forward end an upwardly-projecting lip or horn a, starting exteriorly from a shoulder a on the head. A th'ill-iron B of a suitable form and construction for the attachment thereto of the thill is to be used, such thill-iron having at its rear end a fork or stirrup B, with a cross bar or piece b between its two side arms. This cross bar or pieceis preferably of a double conical shape, with the apex of each cone in the central line of the stirrup or loop transversely, as shown in Fig. 4. A guard or catch 5 extends downwardly from the forward portion of the stirrup in such relation to the head A as to contact with the face of the head when the parts are in operative position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

A movable cover or cap 0 is provided to coact'with the head A, such cover or cap hav ing a semicylindrical transverse recess or depression c, which with the semicircular recess or depression (2. forms an opening for the bearing of the cross pin or piece I) when the cover or cap is down. The cover or cap has a lip or horn portion 0, which overlies the lip or horn portion a, with its end resting on or abutting against the shoulder or face a). Between the lip or horn portion of the cap and the projecting part having the recess 0 is an opening 0", which receives the lip or horn a. This arrangement furnishes a construction by which a complete eye or opening for the crossbar of the thill-iron is provided and also an interlocking means between the cap and the draw-head of the coupling by which these parts are held firmly against longitudinal and lateral play when the cap and head are brought together.

The cover or cap C is pivotally connected at its rear end to the head by a hinged connection consisting, as shown, of a pin or pivot d, passing through ears (1' on the cover or cap and an car 61* on the head, so that the cover or cap is free to be raised and lowered to coact with the head A. A dog or latch E is pivotally attached by a suitable pin or pivot e to the under face of the cover or cap 0 and eX- tends down through a slot or opening D in the head A, so that its lower end projects, when the cover or cap is down, below the under face of the head, and this latch or dog has a notch or shoulder e to engage with the edge of the head at the opening and prevent the raising of the cap until the engagement be tween the dog or latch and the head is released. The latch or dog is held in its engaged position by means of a spring F, having its free end arranged to contact with the rear edge or face of the latch or dog. spring is attached, preferably, in the form shown by a stem of the attaching-clip to the axle, but can be attached in some other suitable way and at some other point. of attachment.

The pin or cross-piece b of the thill-iron is preferably provided with a covering of soft materialsuch, for instance, as rawhidewhich forms a bearing G for the movement of the pin or cross-piece therein, which bear- This ing is supported and held in the eye or opening formed by the semicircular recesses a and 0 when the cap 0 is down.

The coupling-head is attached to an axle l by means of an ordinary clip H, the stems h of which pa s through the plate of the coupling and receive nuts h for clampingthe drawhead to the axle.

In use the thills are attached by raising the cap or cover of each coupling, which can be done by disengaging each latch or dog, and when each cap or cover is raised into the position shown in Fig. 3 the thill-iron on each thill can have its stirrup or loop portion, with its cross-piece and the bearing thereon, inserted in the transverse recess ct of its drawhead by turning the thills up until the crosspiece can pass the lip or horu a and enter the recess a. After this is done the-thills can be dropped and each cap orcover closed down for its lip or horn to passover the lip or horn of the head and its recess 0 to engage the bearing G, so that the bearing is held in the opening formed by the two recesses, as shown in Fig. 2. The latch or dog E is made to engage and be held in engagement by the spring, as shown in Fig. '2, completing the attachment of the thills. The release of the cap or cover is had by striking the end of the dog or latch, so as to disengage the catch or shoulder 6 and have the force of the disengaging blow sufliciently strong to throw up the cap or cover with the upward movement of the latch. This disengaging blow can be a kick from the foot or a blow administered by the hand with some suitable implement or device, such as a wrench or a stone or apiece of wood, so long as the means employed are of the requisite nature to force back and raise up the latch to throw the cap into the position shown in Fig. 3. With 'the cap in the position shown in Fig. 3 the thills can be removed by raising-them to a point where the coupling-pin of the stirrup can be carried out of the recess or opening a to be removed through the opening between the horns of the cap and the head.

The formation of the head A is such as to furnish the draw for the pull in use and have the strain taken by the head, leaving the cap without any appreciable strain thereon; but at the same time the overlapping of the horn or lip of the head by the horn or lip of the cap adds additional strength to the head born or lip to assist strain. The formation of the cap and its relation to the head also furnishes a guard against the free admissionof dust,

' grit, and other foreign substances to the coup- .of the bearing and at the sides of the coup ling-head. This construction and arrangement makes the coupling to all intents and purposes self-clearing as regards any accumulation of dust, grit, and other'substances.

The spring when the latch or dog is engaged prevents disengagement thereof except through a blow, and by this means the cap is held down and cannot be thrown up or disengaged fro n the head in the ordinary use of the coupling. An additional safeguard against displacement of the parts of the coupling in use is had through the interlocking horns of the cap and the head and the engaging horn or guard of the thill-iron, which parts, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, form an effectual preventive against movement and displacement of the coupling cross pin or piece and at the same time do not interfere in the least with the movement of the cross pin or pece in its bearingor support carried by the draw-head of the coupling.

1, a thill-coupling, the combination of a plate or base provided with a draw-head at its front end having asemic yllndrical transverse recess across its inner or upper face and an p' ardlr a d rea a d y prQ ct p horn with an outer curved face, and a cap pivotally mounted on the draw-head at the rear end and provided w th a semicylindrical transverse recess across its inner or under face and havingat its outer end a downwardly and forwardly projecting lip or horn with an inner curved face overlapping the outer curved face of the lip or horn of the drawhead when the cap is down, substantially as described.

2. In a thiILcOupling, the combination of a plate or base provided'with a draw-head having a semicyl i udrical transverse recess and an upwardly-projecting lip or horn, and a shoulder at the base of the horn on the out-- sidejand a cap pivotally mounted on the d rawnew and P i ed wi m c d a transverse recess and a downwardly-projecting lip or horn overlapping the lip orhorn of the draw-head and engaging the shoulder thereof when the cap is down, substan ially as described.

' 3,, In a thin-coupling, the combination of a plate or base provided with a draw-head at its front end having semicylindrical transverse recess across its inner or upper face and an upwardly and rearwardly projecting lip or horn with an outer curved face partly overlying the recess having a vertical slot in the body of the draw-head rearwardly of the transverse recess, pivotally mounted on the draw-head at the rear end and provided with a semicylindrical transverse recess across its inner or under face and having at its outer or forward end a downwardly and forwardly projecting lip or born with an inner curved fa'ce overlapping and engaging with the outer curved face of the lip or horn of the draw-head when the cap is down, and a swinging latch carried by the cap and projected through the slot 'of the draw-head for ITO ' engagement with the draw-head when the cap is down, substantially as described.

4. In a thill'coupling, the combination of a plate or base provided with a draw-head at its front end having aseinicylindrical transverse recess across its inner or upper face and an upwardly and rearwardly projecting lip or horn with an outer curved face and partly overlying the transverse recess and having a vertical slot in its body rearward of the transverse recess, a cap pivotally mounted on the draw-head at the rear end and provided with a semicylindrical transverse recess across its inner or under face and having at its outer end a downwardly and forwardly projecting lip or horn with a curved inner face overlapping and engaging with the curved outer face of the lip or horn of the draw-head when the cap is down, a swinging latch carried by the cap and projected through the slot of the draw-head for engagement with the drawhead when the cap is down, and a spring having its free end pressing against and holding the latch in engagement with the draw-head, substantially as described.

5. In a thill-coupling, the combination of a plate or base provided with a draw-head at its front end havinga semicylind rical transverse recess across its inner or under face and provided with an upwardly and rearwardly projecting lip or horn with an outer curved face and partly o verlyin g the transverse recessand having a slot in the bod of the draw-head rearward of the transverse recess, a cap pivotally inodnted on the draw-head at the rear end and provided with a semicylindrical transverse recess across its inner or under face and having at its outer end a downwardly and forwardly projecting lip or horn with a curved inner face overlapping and engaging with the curved outer face of the lip or horn of the draw-head when the cap is down, a

swinging retaining-latch carried by the cap and projected through the slot of the'drawhead to engage the draw-head when the cap is down, and a thill-iron having a stirrup provided with a draw-pin to enter the recess transverse recess across its inner or under face and having at its outer end a downwardly and forwardly projecting lip or horn with a curved inner face overlapping and engaging with the curved outer face of the horn of the drawhead when the cap is down, the two recesses having an inward taper forming a double-cohe shape, a retaining-latch carried by the cap and engaging the draw-head direct, and a thill-iron having a stirrup provided with a draw-pin of a double-cone shape to fit the double cone of the recess of the cap and drawhead, substantially as described.

7. In'a thill-coupling, the combination of a plate or base having a draw-head at its front end provided with a semicylindrical transverse recess across its inner or upper face, a cap pivotally mounted on the draw-head at the rear end and provided with a semicylindrical transverse recess across its inner or under face, and a pivoted retaining-latch carried by the cap and engaging direct with the drawhead for maintaining the cap in its closed position on the draw-head, substantially as described.

8. In a thill-coupling, the combination of a plate or base having a draw-head at its front end provided with a semicylindrical "transverse recess across its inner or upper face and having an upwardly and rearwardly projecting lip or horn with an outer curved face, a cap pivotally mounted on the draw-head at the rear and provided with a semicylindrical transverse recess across its inner or under face and having a downwardly and forwardly projecting lip or horn with a curved inner face overlapping the curved outer face of the lip or horn of the draw-head when the cap is down, a pivoted retaining-latch carried by the cap and engaging direct with the body of the draw-head, a spring carried by the plate or base and contacting with and forcing the latch into engagement with the draw-head, and a thill-iron provided with a stirrup having a cross-piece or pin and a bearing on the cross-piece or pin entering the transverse recess of the drawhead andengaged by the transverse recess of the cap when closed down, substantially as described.

9. In a thill-coupling, the combination of a plate or base having a draw-head at its front end provided with a semicylindrical transverse recess across its inner or upper face, a cap pivotally mounted on the draw-head at the rear and provided with a semicylindrical transverse recess in its inner or under face, and a thill-iron provided with a stirrup having a cross-piece or pin entering into the recess of the head and cap and having on its under side a downwardly and rearwardly projected guard extending beneath and engaging the front end face of the draw-head when the coupling is together, substantially as de scribed.

THOMAS E. BROOKS.

Witnesses:

THOMAS A. BANNING, THOMAS E. MOGREGOR. 

